cocoa roasted almonds

Cocoa roasted almonds have been a go-to travel snack for Babes and I the past few years. They're just sweet and chocolatey enough to feel like a treat while also remaining a healthy and satisfying snack. While in Alaska a few weeks ago, I got to thinking - these really can't be that hard to make, can they?

Upon our return home, I quickly got to work experimenting with some different approaches to these nuts, finally settling on this recipe which sweetens with maple syrup and includes just a little cane sugar which caramelizes perfectly in the oven for the ultimate roasty snack. Right when you pull them from the oven, the nuts get coated with cocoa powder for that perfect chocolatey treat!

The best part of all of this? I've just started partnering with my favorite Michigan chocolate company, Grocer's Daughter Chocolate - so I was able to use their incredible, natural cocoa powder in this recipe. Jody and D.C. do chocolate the right way - connecting with the farmers and artisans that make their chocolate in Ecuador and paying a fair price so that everyone throughout the process can live a healthy life. I'll be sharing more recipes featuring their chocolate in the future, and more about this great business in the process.

And now, for the goodies:

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

2 cups raw almonds

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp cane sugar

2 tsp flake salt (or 1 tsp table salt)

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

Place almonds in a medium bowl. Drizzle maple syrup over the almonds and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle the cane sugar and salt over the almonds and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until the almonds are roasty and the sugar is just caramelized.

Right when you remove the almonds from the oven, put them into a clean bowl and sprinkle the cocoa powder over them. Cover the bowl with a plate and shake to coat the almonds with the cocoa powder.

If any almonds aren't completely covered with the cocoa powder, give them a quick stir.

Spread the almonds over a clean sheet of parchment or on a clean baking sheet to cool.